Deceptive BehaviorGoogle Play

Google Play — Deceptive Behavior

Your store listing, icon or in-app content promises something the app does not deliver, or imitates something it is not.

What the rejection usually says

Your app contains content that does not match the app's description.
Your app makes claims that could mislead users.

Wording varies between reviewers; the substance does not.

Why it gets triggered

  • Screenshots showing features that are not in the app.
  • An icon or title resembling a well-known app.
  • Claims of results the app cannot substantiate, particularly health or financial.
  • Hidden or undisclosed functionality.

How to fix it

  1. 1.Align listing with build

    Every screenshot and claim must correspond to something a user can actually do today.

  2. 2.Drop unverifiable claims

    Remove superlatives, guaranteed outcomes and medical or financial promises unless you can evidence them.

  3. 3.Make your identity distinct

    Icon, name and branding must not be confusable with another developer's app.

A reply you can adapt

Short, specific, and stating what changed — reviewers read hundreds of these.

Thank you. We have updated the screenshots to show only shipped features, removed the unsupported performance claim from the description, and redesigned the icon so it is clearly distinct.

AppSubmit does this for your app, specifically

Paste the rejection and the decoder reads it against your actual listing, build and release history — then writes the fix plan and drafts the reply. It also watches your submissions, so the next rejection reaches you as a notification rather than a surprise.

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Related rejections

Source: Google Play — Deceptive Behavior. Summaries and fixes are ours; the guidelines themselves belong to their publishers and are worth reading in full.

Last reviewed 2026-07-27.